Conan Exiles Enhanced

Conan Exiles – this is a game about a time so ancient that logic was yet to be born. It is a land of might and magic, legendary creatures, and desert-mountain-climbing crocodiles. A land where common sense has yet to be invented and master craftsmen make things purely by guesswork. This positive review is based on a solo, heavily modded playthrough, so let’s start with the cons first. I don’t know why, but "the game" (which is what I’ll be calling the devs from now on) really hates logic and common sense in general. It’s practically allergic to it. If you play vanilla, you are bound to suffer brain damage just from how stupid things can get in there. However, its biggest problem is that the game has a split personality and suffers from constant inconsistency because of that. Quality comes side-by-side with a careless, slapped-together mess. There is a blatant inconsistency in styles; the game isn't sure if it wants to be realistic or cartoonishly exaggerated. Those styles don't mix and realism works much better here, I hope they focus on that. Every update traditionally breaks something — and no, I am not talking about the mods. Usually it’s unintentional, but that isn’t always the case. They nearly ruined the fighting system; daggers are barely playable now, and they did that one on purpose! No one asked for it. It was a freaking whim that scarred the game forever. You will see brilliant talent and creativity right next to obnoxious laziness. Those silly attempts to sell you reskinned crap right alongside something new and beautiful make this game a living absurdity... But then, there are mods, and this is where the game starts shining. Yes, this is another beautiful example of a game saved by its players, just like Skyrim. It's a testament to what happens when players see the raw potential of a game and pour their brilliance into exploring it. Without mods, this game would be long dead, just like Skyrim. But it isn’t dead, and here is why. The recent update to Unreal Engine 5 was a success; we’ve got the same old jank, but now it looks fantastic. They are finally fixing collisions and the navmesh, the poor quality of which has plagued this game for years. There’s still plenty to be done, but I can see the progress. Of course, the update didn’t go completely smoothly — it wouldn’t be Funcom without a screw-up — but it actually went smoother than most of us expected, and it seems to be moving in the right direction. It feels like the side of the studio that actually possesses vision and ambition has taken the wheel, which brings hope. And now, for the real explanation behind my thumbs-up. The game (mods included, obviously) allows you to build your own world, and I am having a blast doing that. I create quests. I create NPCs. I’m building entire cities, and then I attack them... I turned the game into an absurdity of my own design, and there is absolutely nothing that can replace that feeling. You are only limited by your imagination, and I have yet to see the limits of mine. It can be the ultimate chill zone, a brutal challenge zone, or both. It’s entirely up to you.